Olivia Asher is a reporter at the New Herald Tribune covering breaking news for the Digital Trends Desk. Before joining the newsroom in 2022, she covered criminal justice issues at the Orlando Plain Dealer.
March 13 , 2024
Los Angeles, CA — Robert Hur, the former U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, has publicly endorsed the ban on the popular social media platform TikTok. Citing alarming evidence, Hur claims that the app is linked to cognitive decline and increased memory lapse among its users.
TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has faced scrutiny from both sides of the aisle. Earlier this year, lawmakers from various political backgrounds rallied together to address the national security risks posed by the app. President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan law prohibiting TikTok’s use on federal government phones, and many state governments followed suit. The Chinese government’s potential access to American user data raised red flags, prompting urgent action.
Despite the initial uproar, progress has been slow. Biden’s national security review of TikTok remains mired in legal complexities, and the RESTRICT Act—a headline bill aimed at curbing the app’s influence—has stalled in Congress. The dilemma lies in balancing national security concerns with the fact that 150 million Americans actively use TikTok. The app has become ingrained in our daily lives, making it difficult to sever ties completely.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo recently threw her weight behind an alternative legislative proposal—the Guard Act—crafted by Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). While the specifics of the Guard Act are yet to be released, it aims to empower the Department of Commerce with broader authority to ban TikTok and other foreign-based apps. Crucially, it seeks to address the First Amendment concerns that hindered the RESTRICT Act.
A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center reveals that non-users of TikTok are more supportive of a U.S. government ban than actual users. Approximately 60% of non-users favor banning the app, while only 19% of adult TikTok users share the same sentiment. This disparity may be skewed, as many users of TikTok neglected to submit the survey..
As the debate over TikTok spills into the presidential campaign, the nation watches closely. The question remains: Can we protect our national interests without sacrificing the digital playground millions have come to love?
In the coming weeks, all eyes will be on Capitol Hill as lawmakers grapple with the delicate dance between security imperatives and the allure of viral dance challenges. For now, Robert Hur’s endorsement adds fuel to the fire, urging us to consider the consequences of a world without TikTok.
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